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The Ultra Clean Lab

The clean laboratory suite comprises facilities for the low-blank preparation of samples for trace element and isotopic work. Isotope preparation laboratories are in a self-contained unit for Sr, Nd, Pb and Hf work and ultra-low Re-Os isotope work. Within the isotope chemistry preparation area is an ultra-clean laboratory for low-level work. The ultra-clean laboratory suite is supplied with class 10000 "make-up" air. In this environment we use 4 dedicated, class 100 laminar-flow work stations for sample digestion, chemistry and dry-downs [Figures 1-3]. There is a separate preparation laboratory for Carius tube Re-Os isotope chemistry.

Figure 1a, General view of ultra-cleanroom suite.

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Figure 1b, General view of ultra-cleanroom suite. 		gen

Figure 1c, General view of ultra-cleanroom suite.
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Figure 1d, Micro Sr Hood ultra clean room. 		hood2
Figure 1e, Basalt hood ultra clean room.
Hf Hood
Figure 1f, Sr, Hf, Nd hood ultra clean room. 		hood4
Figure 1g, Low level concentration Pb hood ultra clean room.
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Figure 2. General view of the clean room suite
Peridotite Hood

Figure 3. Re-Os-PGE chemistry flow-hood in the clean room.
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Figure 4. Environmental geochemistry hood, clean room		 pbhoodlab1
Figure 5. High level concentration Pb hood, clean room.

Figure 6. Each of the class 100 laminar-flow work stations has two deidicated hotplate chambers, each supplied with class 100 laminar flow air, for digestions and dry-downs. We use in-house designed teflon-coated hot plates for digestion and dry-downs.

Dry Down Chambers Figure 7. In addition to the hotplate chambers in each laminar flow work station we have more conventional filtered air dry down chambers.
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Figure 8. High-purity laboratory water is supplied via a Milli-pore ELIX unit with ELEMENT polishing unit. Acid purification is performed using 4 Picotrace ® cupola stills.

The ultra-clean laboratory concentrates on the analysis of micro-sampled material such as feldspars and melt inclusions [Microsampling] for Rb-Sr isotope work, and sub-pico-gramme level Re-Os isotope analyses, for example of sulfide inclusions in diamond.

[Click here to see laboratory capabilities]

Figure 9. As part of the weighing room facility we have a Mettler UMT-2 7-figure micro-balance for weighing samples to a precision of 0.1 micro-grammes.
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